Annual Harvest Sampler...

Throughout our married life there has been one tradition that frequents this time of year. Canning. From the start we have had some really fun experiences canning and preserving food together. In fact one of our "saved" for purchases during law school was a pressure cooker. I'm sure that when we get to grape-juicing time I will elaborate more on our "first" juicing project...it is a great story that I shall leave for another day!
Here are some fun shots of yesterday's harvest.
What can be better than the summer/fall harvest? Maybe the first spring flowers. Alas, I cannot eat them...therefore I would submit that harvest time is the most rewarding for ALL of the senses...Need I say more than the earthy yummy smell of basil...or the invigorating, mouthwatering, taste of a fresh self-grown tomato??? Truly this is the time of year when my mouth and nose exclaim "Now this is REAL food!"
Here are the mounds of fruits and veggies that my sweet canning hubby canned yesterday. He really did all of the tomatoes and peaches by himself (Oscar helped a bit) but I was doing some pesto and had a baptism to go to. He did allow me to "watch" the pressure cooker for a little bit while he ran to get more bottles (I do think he was hesitant in doing so...he stressed the fact that I needed to do 5lbs of pressure for 10 minutes and adjust heat accordingly). For a more in-depth view of the project you can check out his blog. (fair warning, he has updated the format of his blog to include a up-close and personal view of my nostril)
Really, I'm so grateful for such a great husband who isn't afraid to don his apron strings and put a little muscle into the canning process. He is such a great guy! How many men do you know who would do such a thing??? Tomorrow, we will tackle the pears together.

Today we visited a favorite park in Palouse, this swing is really fun...it's like a merry-go-round on a swing. Ricky can only push for so long before he starts to get a bit woozy. Poppy, I think has inherited my tough tummy genes when it comes to heights and motion...Oscar hasn't been so lucky. Immediately after leaving the park he announces that his belly doesn't feel good...Rick's response is to make sure and puke out the window. Thankfully we didn't have to resort to such action.